Ukraine’s forces have entered Russia. Could it help end the war?

Kyiv says it is seeking to establish a 'buffer zone' within the Kursk region, but analysts say the move is also about securing a better negotiating position and improving morale.

As Ukraine continues to claim more territory inside Russia a week after the largest cross-border incursion of the war, several questions remain unanswered — including what the end goal might be.

In the short term, Kyiv says it is seeking to establish a “buffer zone” within the Kursk region, one of several border territories from which Russia has launched missile strikes that have pummelled Ukraine.

But analysts suggest the surprise operation may also be about Ukraine assuring western allies it can still bring the fight to Russia despite being outgunned and outmanned. That could even help push Moscow to the negotiating table on better terms for the Ukrainians, some experts say.

“This has not changed the course of the war, because (the Ukrainians) simply lack military power to do so,” said Andrew Rasiulis, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. “But they can improve their bargaining position.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has made similar comments, though he and the Kremlin have yet to agree to any ceasefire talks.

Meanwhile, Putin has vowed to push the Ukrainian troops out of Kursk, but days of intense battles have so far failed to oust them.

Ukrainian forces first entered the Kursk region on Aug. 6 from Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, appearing to catch both the West and the Kremlin by surprise.

The Russian province is far north of what’s long been established as the front line of the war, the southeastern Donbas region of Ukraine that Russia annexed in the fall of 2022, months after launching its full-scale invasion.